Bob Marshall Country: a new map!

At it’s heart the art of cartography is thousands of small decisions- about where to place labels, which features to label, which font and what size to use, or how to symbolize different types of geographic and cultural features. There are standards of course but there is so much room for expression within the standard.

When you make several of the same type of map the number of those decisions is drastically reduced and the process becomes less artistic and more formulaic. I still love the challenge of fitting all the information in the given space in the best way possible, but after a few years of doing that we were itching to get back to the creative side of cartography.

We have talked about (and received requests for) a map with the whole Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex since 2011 when we printed our first map. This spring the concept for that map finally started to take shape. We knew we wanted it to be totally functional so you could use it to daydream about new trips or reminisce about trips passed. We also wanted it to be an art piece- something that would look good in a frame on someone’s wall.

On the map you will find all the trails, cabins, trailheads, and ranger stations plus all the peaks, streams, rivers and geographic features that are on our other maps all overlaid on an updated terrain shading.

We are really pleased with how the map turned out and we had a lot of fun making it!

It also turns out when you put the entire Bob Marshall on one rectangular sheet of paper you end up with the entire Mission Range and Rattlesnake Wilderness on the page as well!

The whole map!

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6 thoughts on “Bob Marshall Country: a new map!”

Why the $8 difference between the folded and flat map? I understand the mailing tube issue — but paying for the mailing tube expense when buying an unfolded map at the Trailhead in Missoula seems very inappropriate. There is no mailing tube involved. No extra expense. I hope you will rethink this. I think I am going to return the one I just bought on general principal — the map is relatively expensive to start with, and paying an additional $8 adds no value. Its a lovely map, yes, but there are other maps of the Bob that provide an overview and do not cost $30.

Thank you for taking the time to look us up and let us know what you think. That’s a valid question and I’m sure you are not the only person wondering about the price difference. For anyone who is curious the flat versions cost more because they cost us more not only to ship but to store them, deliver them to The Trailhead, and to have them initially shipped to us from the press that prints them. Basically they are just higher maintenance and we think they have a higher value. We do not have a price printed on the map and The Trailhead is free to charge less if they want to. I hope you find another Bob Marshall map that fits your needs.

How do order a Bob Marshall Wilderness T shirt, and how much? Looks like a great shirt. How could one get lost with one of these? Unless of course a bear ripped it off you back to find the best berry patches. Ha ha. Thanks Terry Flood, 213 Highwood Avenue, Weehawken, NJ 07086.All for a good cause, keep widerness forever wild!

Hi Trace- Thank you for your comment! It’s not possible to print the Bob Marshall poster at a bigger size. We have had a few customers splice together four copies of our recreation maps to hang on the wall. It doesn’t come out as a clean rectangle but it would be closer to the size you are looking for.